{"id":127377,"date":"2024-11-18T20:23:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T13:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=127377"},"modified":"2024-11-18T20:23:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T13:23:50","slug":"after-democrats-lost-the-working-class-union-leaders-say-its-time-to-reconstruct-the-democratic-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=127377","title":{"rendered":"After Democrats lost the working class, union leaders say it&#8217;s time to &#8216;reconstruct the Democratic Party&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">President Joe Biden proudly called himself the <a href=\"https:\/\/aflcio.org\/statements\/icymi-president-biden-im-most-pro-union-president-american-history-and-i-make-no\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:most pro-labor president;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">most pro-labor president<\/a> in American history, but working-class voters moved further than ever from their traditional home in the Democratic Party in this year\u2019s election, leading some to rethink their approach to winning working-class voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">While unions say their extensive organizing efforts helped Democrats largely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/11\/06\/harris-democrats-union-harris-votes-00187943\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:hold the line;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">hold the line<\/a> with their members \u2014 Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 support among union households <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-elections\/exit-polls\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:this year;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">this year<\/a> was slightly down from Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2020-elections\/exit-polls\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:in 2020;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">in 2020<\/a>, according to NBC News exit polling \u2014 the party\u2019s erosion among working-class voters more generally is alarming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cI don\u2019t think the party has fully embraced, and hasn\u2019t for decades, really, working-class people,\u201d said Brent Booker, the general president of the Laborers\u2019 International Union of North America. \u201cWe have to deconstruct and reconstruct the Democratic Party if they\u2019re going to be the party of working people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Union membership has cratered over the past 50 years, so union leaders say there is only so much they can do in a world where 9 in 10 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/union2.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:workers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">workers<\/a> are not unionized and larger trends are cleaving workers from the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cWe can\u2019t communicate with every nonunion laborer. We can only communicate with a portion of our members,\u201d said Booker, who thinks Democrats could have performed better with a fierier populist message on the economy and a cooler one on cultural issues that make some of his members feel like Democrats are out-of-touch elitists. \u201cA lot of our members own guns. A lot of our members hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Booker said that when he toured job sites this year, he heard about inflation, immigration and the demise of the Keystone Pipeline, which would have created jobs for his members but was killed for environmental concerns \u2014 all issues that played to the GOP\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/democrats-losing-working-class-voters-one-playbook-win-back-rcna171062\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Defining the working class is tricky;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Defining the working class is tricky<\/a> in a postindustrial economy. But whether they are measured by income or educational attainment, President-elect Donald Trump won working-class voters overall while he made strong gains among nonwhite working-class voters like Hispanics and Asian Americans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">As recently as 2012, non-college-educated voters were splitting their votes evenly or even slightly in favor of Democrats. This year, they broke 2-to-1 for Trump over Harris, according to NBC News exit polls. And while former President Barack Obama won 57% of people making $30,000 to $49,999 in 2012, Trump won that income bracket 53%-45% this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">As educated professionals who used to vote Republican recoiled from Trump, Democrats have become more affluent and educated. But that has left the party\u2019s leaders, donors, operatives and other decision-makers more removed from the lives of low- and middle-income workers, some labor leaders say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">For instance, they say Democrats refused to acknowledge the impact of post-Covid inflation, from which higher-income professionals were more insulated, and instead tried to persuade Americans to believe abstract economic metrics over their lived experiences of painful credit card swipes at the grocery store.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cThey failed to address inflation, saying that it wasn\u2019t a big issue or that the pain that working people feel right now isn\u2019t real,\u201d Jimmy Williams, the president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Jimmy_iupat\/status\/1854200713515008404\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:said on X;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">said on X<\/a>. \u201cThe Democratic Party has continued to fail to prioritize a strong, working class message that addresses issues that really matter to workers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Trade unions like the Laborers and Painters tend to be whiter, more male and more conservative than service-sector unions. And the labor movement includes a vast range of opinions. But there is widespread frustration that Trump outflanked Democrats to position himself as a champion of working people, as well as dissatisfaction with Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/election-class-race-identity-politics-2024-a95c992a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:not limited;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">not limited<\/a> to white or male union members.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cThe narrative that he was able to craft was almost right out of the labor unions\u2019 playbook in terms of focusing on the economy and jobs, bringing manufacturing jobs back, getting tough on China, making sure that working families can put more money in their pocket,\u201d said Liz Schuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, the massive labor federation that includes 60 unions that together represent 12 million people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Schuler said that message, from a billionaire who has stiffed workers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/foxconn-plant-once-touted-trump-13-000-job-juggernaut-will-n1264793\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:fell far short;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">fell far short<\/a> on promised job creation, is bogus \u2014 \u201cHe talks a good game but never delivers\u201d \u2014 but she could not deny its power at the polls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Trump made his pitch directly to rank-and-file members, telling them to ignore union leaders \u201cwho <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/04\/29\/trump-slams-dues-sucking-firefighters-union-leaders-as-he-attacks-biden.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:rip-off their membership;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">rip-off their membership<\/a> with ridiculously high dues\u201d \u2014 even if he sometimes made that case to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/trump-autoworkers-striking-uaw-speech-second-republican-debate-rcna117115\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:nonunionized workers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">nonunionized workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">And working-class support for Democrats is hardly a new phenomenon. But some in the party say those long-term trends have reached a crisis point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cIf you\u2019re an average working person out there, do you really think that the Democratic Party is going to the mats, taking on powerful special interests and fighting for you? I think the overwhelming answer is no,\u201d Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said on NBC News \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Democrats have tried to win back working-class voters with policies designed to help them, especially by supporting unions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">The theory, accepted as a truism on the left, is that good policy leads to good politics and that people will reward you with their votes if you do things to make their lives better. But the results of that strategy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/378025\/trump-harris-2024-election-polls-union-voters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:have been disappointing;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">have been disappointing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Biden went all in on unions. One of his first actions as president was an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/joe-biden\/democrats-saved-union-pensions-after-hoffa-s-long-campaign-n1261125\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:$83 billion taxpayer-funded bailout;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">$83 billion taxpayer-funded bailout<\/a> of the Teamsters pension fund. He even launched his second presidential campaign from a Teamsters hall in Pittsburgh, saying: \u201cI make no apologies. I am a union man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">But the Teamsters could not return the favor. After surveys of their roughly 1.3 million rank-and-file members found that 60% supported Trump while only 34% supported Harris, Teamsters leaders decided not to endorse anyone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Most unions still backed Harris, as is typical for a Democratic presidential candidate, but the Teamsters were not the only union to break from the precedent. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/firefighters-union-iaff-declines-endorse-presidential-candidate-rcna173918\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The International Association of Fire Fighters;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">The International Association of Fire Fighters<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/biden-campaign-press-release-international-longshoremens-association-endorses-joe-biden\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:International Longshoremen\u2019s Association;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">International Longshoremen\u2019s Association<\/a>, both of which backed Biden in 2020, and the United Mine Workers of America all <a href=\"https:\/\/umwa.org\/news-media\/press\/umwa-makes-no-endorsement-for-president\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sat out the race;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">sat out the race<\/a> entirely.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">That despite Biden\u2019s embracing organized labor\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogressaction.org\/article\/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:policy wish list;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">policy wish list<\/a>, from pro-union appointments to the National Labor Relations Board to executive actions to strengthen unions, while potentially creating millions of union jobs through massive spending on infrastructure, clean energy and semiconductors. Biden was even the first president to <a href=\"https:\/\/aflcio.org\/2023\/9\/27\/service-solidarity-spotlight-biden-becomes-first-president-walk-strike-picket-line-joins%5C\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:walk a strike picket line;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">walk a strike picket line<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">After she took over as the party\u2019s nominee, Harris, a longtime champion of organized labor in the Senate who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uswvoices.org\/vice-president-kamala-harris-top-ten-victories-for-workers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:also walked a picket line;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">also walked a picket line<\/a>, vowed to uphold and expand on Biden\u2019s pro-union policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">But that policy was not enough to overcome larger societal forces that have led many working-class voters to doubt Democrats\u2019 commitment to their well-being.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cIf there is one single lesson of the last election, and really the last four years, it\u2019s that delivering material benefits to workers will not help you electorally,\u201d said Will Stancil, a progressive policy analyst with a large social media following. \u201cWhich basically annihilates the left\u2019s entire theory of politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">This article was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/democrats-lost-working-class-union-leaders-say-time-reconstruct-democr-rcna179284\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NBCNews.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">NBCNews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/democrats-lost-working-class-union-120000898.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden proudly called himself the most pro-labor president in American history, but working-class voters moved further than ever from their traditional home in the Democratic Party in this &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=127377\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=127377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127377\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=127377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=127377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=127377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}